


Ad capere a stella

by Trystine



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Allo Peridot, Before or during the cym climax, Cuddling, F/F, Feelings, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gem touching, Hurt/Comfort, I promise, Kinda bittersweet ngl, Kissing, Make-out of the sorts, Making Out, Mentions of bismuth, Mild Hurt/Comfort, No Sexual Content, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Takes Place after Escapism, Written before the aroace Peri "reveal", but it's not sexual, lapidot - Freeform, there's plot if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:02:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23210665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trystine/pseuds/Trystine
Summary: "Their eyes met, and everything else melted away.Lapis sighed, a slight sound, snuggling even closer to Peridot, and raising her hand to ease a tuft of disheveled hair away from the other gem's face. She wondered if that was what humans called contentment."Lapis and Peridot share a moment, in between the rebuilding of the Diamond's ships.
Relationships: Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 65





	Ad capere a stella

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fanfic for this fandom, lo and behold, it's senseless fluff. This basically wrote itself, so if there's some mistakes, that's why.

Their surroundings were silent, save for the gentle creaking sound the hammock ropes made each time it rocked, it’s slow rhythm lulling those within to slumber. Moonlight filtered into the room, entering through whatever gaps it found, but it didn’t bother the pair. 

Tangled together, content and warm in their embrace, limbs wrapped around each other; Their eyes met, and everything else melted away. 

Lapis sighed, a slight sound, snuggling even closer to Peridot, and raising her hand to ease a tuft of disheveled hair away from the other gem’s face. She wondered if that was what humans called contentment. 

“I think I could get used to this,” She whispered, a tender, if small smile gracing her features. “It’s so... peaceful.” 

Peridot hummed, as in agreement, though mostly as a response to noticing Lapis’ fingertips ghosting in languid motions around the polished edge of her stone, almost teasing in their motion. Her previously dazed look was becoming more alert; Peridot could swear that there was a glimmer to her expression that hadn’t quite been there a few seconds ago. 

The blue gem’s voice released her from her thoughts, “Hey, Peri?” 

“Hm?” 

Her eyes then broke contact for a moment to appraise the smooth mineral at her fingertips. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever told you this, but... You have an exquisite gem.” Lapis said, caressing the object in question with a light touch, almost as though the tiniest bit of pressure would be enough to crack it. 

Color flooded her cheeks, and she found herself unable to respond much more than a few unintelligible babbles that coaxed a slight laugh from Lapis. Once she’d collected herself, she replied the compliment in a shaky voice, “I... Thank you.” 

The brief response seemed to pique Lapis’ curiosity, who, by that point, had already forgotten their plan to cuddle in silence until sleep claimed them both. 

“Wait, has no one told you that before?” Peridot shook her head, though she didn’t answer the inquiry. 

“It’s not that, it’s just... I want to return the compliment, but, I’ve never looked at your gem from up close.” She spoke in a rushed tone, immediately averting her sight; Her focus did not follow the same path as her eyes, however. 

“You... Really?” She sounded genuinely surprised, if only somewhat flustered herself “I mean, I haven’t seen it before either, but…” 

“Yeah…” Peridot knew this, at least from a logical standpoint. Her gemstone’s location made it hard for the owner to see it without resorting to creative measures or shape-shifting; Neither of those was something that Lapis would go out of her way to do. Not for such a triviality. 

Deafening silence hung above them for a long moment, uninterrupted, save for the occasional muted sounds common to the night-covered beach, like the gentle waves lapping at the shore. 

Peridot broke the stillness after a brief internal debate “If you’re okay with it... I’d like to see it.” 

Both gems were blushing profusely now, with the suggestion floating in the air between them. The tense wait lasted a few seconds before Lapis asked in a quiet voice. 

“Are you sure?” When met with a definite nod, it prompted her to sigh again. “... Okay.” 

They slowly untangled themselves from each other, both tentative and nervous, each of their minds running on overdrive. 

A soon as they’d succeded in separating, Lapis steeled herself with a deep breath and a soft mumble that her barnmate didn’t have time to register. She swiftly maneuvered to roll over onto her other side, limbs twitching anxiously as though she were repressing the urge to curl in on herself. 

On second thought, she probably was. 

The technician didn’t fail to realize the vulnerability of the position; though Lapis couldn’t see it, she let a soft expression settle on her features. The amount of trust being displayed warmed her chest. This time, she shook herself out of her own musing, to return to the situation at hand. She was now faced with the defined back of her roommate, in all it’s glory. 

Peridot allowed herself a moment to roam her eyes appreciatively over the other gem’s form, before she let them land on the small, teardrop shaped stone. 

It was smooth and fine, like most rare gems Peridot had seen, since her emergence. Though the scarce moonlight made it hard to view it properly, she still found it enticing. 

“H-how... what do you think?” The hesitant mumble took a moment to process in Peridot’s brain, but when it finally clicked, she smiled fondly.

“I was right,” She answered a breathy chuckle leaving her throat, “It’s gorgeous, Lapis. Like you.” 

Though she couldn’t see Lapis’ face from her spot, the darkening tips of her ears gave her an inkling to what it might look like. 

The silence stretched for a small period, as they properly processed what was happening, but it wasn’t long before Peridot raised her voice once again. 

“M-may I?” She asked, stretching her arm beneath her to peer at the taller gem’s face “Touch your gem, I mean...” 

She could properly see the darkening of Lapis’ face, which brought her a bit of pride, but the blank expression was troubling. 

“But I will only do it if you’re okay with it.” Peridot added hastily, hoping to bring ease to her friend’s mind. 

Lapis shook her head slightly “No, it’s okay,” She assured, even if her voice wasn’t entirely convincing “I want you to.” 

The smaller gem then re-assumed her previous position once again, nodding silently before lifting her hand and slowly bringing it to rest on Lapis’ skin. She reached for her shoulder, and though the contact started light, she felt her tense. 

“Does that feel okay?” She asked, running her fingers down the arm and coming to rest on top of Lapis’ hand. Their fingers interlocked almost immediately, fitting like adjacent pieces of a puzzle. 

An affirmative hum was Lapis’ answer, and although she still acted hesitant, there was no other sign of her being against the current state of affairs. She gave a small comforting squeeze to their joined hands before letting go. 

She took the initiative then, retracing back up to the shoulder, and rubbing along the nearby muscles reassuringly, until they began to unwound. 

Peridot’s fingers traveled to her nape, pressing lightly along the path where a human’s spine would be, until she arrived within centimeters of the gemstone. 

“Are you still doing okay?” She asked, fingers following an invisible road around the gem, but never touching it. “We can stop if you want...” 

Even if she couldn’t see Lapis’ face, she could tell there was a smile on her lips when she spoke “Thanks, Peridot, but I’m still good. You can keep going.” 

She brought her fingers up the smooth curve of the gem, unable to look away from the glossy, enchanting surface. 

As an experienced kindergartener, she had known a fair share of flawless specimens, most of them found in written reports rather than seen face to face; yet she could honestly say it was the first time a gem of any category had taken her breath away to that extent. 

The vibrant blue hue, dulled mildly by the lack of a potent light source; The tiny white specs, almost invisible to the untrained eye, looking like stars upon a clear night sky; Framed by the smallest hint of pyrite, a few thin brassy lines along the visible edge where her stone met skin. 

“Wow...” She mumbled involuntarily, eyes still glued to the beautiful object before her eyes, and fingers still stroking it in random patterns around all the visible surface. 

Once the novelty wore off, however, she noticed how the tension had finally left Lapis’ form. 

Suddenly feeling daring, she let her previously wandering hand snake around the other gem’s waist to reduce the space, and pressed her forehead to the chiseled back before her. Their stones placed mere centimeters from each other. 

A sharp intake of breath came as the ocean gem’s reaction, though it seemed she hadn’t tensed up. Instead, one of Lapis’ hands came to rest on top of hers, fingers lacing together again. 

Peridot sighed, a happy little sound that blew warm air into the gemstone in front of her. A strong shiver went through Lapis’ entire body, and left her extremities tingling, face warmer than ever. 

“P-Peridot...” She rasped, voice dropping from her drowsy tone to a deeper drawl. Her fingers twitched against their locked hands. 

“Hm?” She hummed. “What is it, Lapis?” 

“I…” She bit her lip. 

“Lapis?” 

In a single motion, the taller gem rolled back around and on top of Peridot, who startled when her brain caught up with it, arms instinctively surrounding Lapis. “Wha-?” 

Lapis nuzzled her nose into the crook of Peridot’s neck, exhaling softly: “I love you.” 

Her heart skipped a beat at hearing those words, her chest filled with a new inexplicable warmth. She raised a hand to rake her fingers through her lover’s hair.

“I love you too, Lapis,” Lapis lifted her head then, and when their eyes met, both leaned in at once. 

The kiss was slow, lips brushing together gently, but it slowly escalated into a passionate exchange, hands roaming each other’s projected bodies. 

They separated for a moment, but their lips still lingered close enough to touch. A breathy chuckle left Peridot’s lips as they both panted, despite not needing to breathe.

Through the thick fog that now settled in her brain, Peridot registered Lapis’ hands moving from their resting place on her hips, stroking up the line of her waist until they reached her shoulders; they ran down the length of her arms until coming to a stop around her wrists, where they clasped like cuffs. 

A teasing grin formed on Lapis’ face. She lowered her head enough so their lips were again only centimeters away. Peridot gasped, a shudder passing through her entire body. 

The other gem chuckled, moving Peridot’s hands so they rested at each side of her head. Then began her assault. 

Before she could react, Lapis began peppering her face with small kisses, advancing slowly but surely towards her neck; there she lingered for a moment before moving back up to Peridot’s lips, where she settled, erratic movements coming to a lull. 

As they separated, their noses collided, causing the pair to break out into light-hearted laughter. 

Once the chortles receded, though, Lapis pressed their foreheads together, and they both closed their eyes. The cool touch of Peridot’s gem sobered her up somewhat. 

Her mind wandered back to the conversation they’d had earlier that day, both reluctant and apprehensive, _terrified_ to get hurt, or worse, cause pain to the other. 

They’d only just reformed a day prior and had immediately set to avoiding each other despite the task at hand, which was fixing the ships; The work was enough to distract them for only a few hours, before their focus began shifting to each other. Before long, the tension grew so strong that Bismuth locked them in the back of Greg’s van until they solved their problem. 

As necessary as it was, it had been a messy affair; Despite it all, it resulted in their mutual reconciliation. However… 

“Peridot,” She spoke in a hushed tone that cracked towards the end; She felt that familiar burst of emotion that emerged whenever her thoughts strayed “I... I’m sorry.” 

Peridot’s hands found their way to her face, cradling it gently from each side as she spoke, eyelids still shut. Her thumbs began moving in random patterns to try and comfort her. 

“You already apologized earlier,” Was her answer, as simple and straightforward as facts could be. “And I already forgave you. You were going through a lot and-” 

“But Peri,” Lapis interjected, retreating from their embrace and opening her eyes so she could look into the green gem’s. “No matter what I was facing, to have ignored how you felt wasn’t okay. Leaving you just like that, taking what we had built together far from your reach… I hurt you, Peridot. How can you forgive something like that?” 

Peridot stared at her, studying her expression and weighing her possible responses, “Because you came back.” She answered, voice thin as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. “Even after all that happened here, and all the pain this place brought you, all the pain I brought you, you returned. Not only because it was the right thing to do, but also because it was your choice. You chose to return, and even if the life we built together is as torn in pieces as the remains of our barn, we still have the chance to start over. Closer than ever.” 

Lapis’ expression was easing, slowly but surely with every word that came from Peridot, but, as she caught the latter reaching up to fidget with her visor (as she tended to do when she was anxious), only to find nothing but emptiness where it usually would be, it returned to how it started. 

“But what about your feelings?” She insisted, averting her sight. “You’re acting like they don’t matter as much as mine do. Aren’t you angry at me?” 

“Angry?” Peridot mumbled, facade crumbling to minuscule shards. A dry cackle left her mouth “I’m livid. All I want to you is yell and cry to you, to ask you how could you do it. There’s a part of me that wants to return the favor, you know? Make you feel as I felt,” Her voice broke, but she kept going, despite the tears forming at the corners of her eyes “But the thing I want to do the most is hold tightly onto you, so I can feel that you’re still here. That you really came back.” 

Both reached out, pulling each other into a tight embrace, leaving virtually no space between them, hands clutching onto projected cloth. There was a lull in conversation as both processed what the other had said and savored the bittersweet closeness for as long as it lasted, clinging as hard as they could without hurting one another. 

“I’m here,” Lapis whispered, resting her cheek on top of Peridot’s head, “And I’m not going anywhere.” 

“… What if I don’t believe you?” 

“Then I’ll prove it to you, every single day.” She spoke, bending down to kiss Peridot’s gemstone. “That I love you, and that I’m not leaving you behind ever again.” 

”… You promise?” Asked Peridot, her voice thick with tears and poorly concealed fear. 

Lapis gently wiped her tears using her powers and then adjusted so they could lay more comfortably. “I promise.” 

There was still much to do, and plenty to discuss, but the pair dozed off for the night, content knowing that the other was close by. Anything else could wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Now that you've seen the trainwreck of a story that I wrote, I'd like to hear what you thought about it down in the comments. Thanks for reading!


End file.
